| Breast Cancer Radiation Won't Hurt Immune Health
FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Neither of two commonly used radiation treatments for early-stage breast cancer has any negative effect on a patient's immune system, concludes a Loyola University Health System pilot study. "One of the first questions a woman newly diagnosed with breast cancer asks is, 'What impact will radiation have on my body?' This study helps allay some fears," lead author Dr. Kevin Albuquerque, a radiation oncologist, said in a prepared statement. .
In the KNOW; Sister's cancer diagnosis spurs launch of women's ...
Former Plum Island resident Karen Kezer Dow was concerned when she discovered a small lump in her breast last year. Dow, 51, has always been diligent about getting regular mammograms.
The lump, undetectable by a mammogram, was cancerous and Dow was diagnosed with breast cancer, which quickly moved to eight of her lymph nodes.
A little over a year after her initial diagnosis, Dow's cancer has now moved to her brain. Having already undergone chemotherapy three times and 10 intense rounds of radiation, Dow has now halted treatment and is adopting a "watch and wait" approach to see how her body does.
"People think you have a mammogram and you are safe, but you are not," said Dow, who lives in Manchester, N.H.. "You have to know your body."
According to the National Cancer Institute, one in eight women in America will face breast cancer, and almost 200,000 women in America will be diagnosed with the disease this year.
15-year-old heads up effort to fight grandma's cancer
There are many ways to fight cancer: drugs, homeopathic medicines, chemotherapy, radiation. It can also be fought with a grandchild's love.Shirley Smalling, 69, got the phone call one year ago this month and the doctor was brief and to the point: You have infiltrating ductal carcinoma - in layman's terms, breast cancer.“That's not the news you want to hear," Smalling said.With heavy hearts, the family gathered at Smalling's Dillard Road farm as usual that Sunday after church for lunch.The weekly gathering has always been a special event for Shirley and Victor Smalling's three children and five grandchildren.“As long as I can remember, it's always been lunch at Grandma's house after church," said Victoria Dickson, the Smallings' 15-year-old granddaughter. “The first word out of everyone's mouth as babies is 'grandma.' "Shirley Smalling has endured months of radiation treatment and is now taking medication to fight the disease.Victoria, always the organizer in the family, has decided to tackle the disease in her own way.“I was sitting in church one Sunday and it just came to me," she said.
Breast cancer treatment could be better for patien
Breast cancer treatment has come a long way. In recent years patients have been getting what's called partial breast radiation therapy, which takes one week instead of seven. Now there's a new kind of this therapy that could be even better for patients. .
Cell phone films take center stage
Masked and demure, she speaks from the tiny screen of a cell phone like a thumb-size fairy forever trapped inside. "Welcome home," she says softly to the viewer. "Speak to me about anything." The minuscule video is among the works on display at a film festival that opened Dec. 7in Yokohama, featuring 48 movies - all shot on camera-equipped cell phones. Hazy and raw but urgently personal, these pocket-size statements on film, like Yuka Kojima's five-minute Thumb Girl, were selected from more than 400 entries in an international contest. .
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